State conservation officials have shot and killed a moose they said was about to cross a busy highway in New Britain.

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The male moose, estimated to be 2 or 3 years old and weighing about 500 pounds, was killed Wednesday.

Dwayne Gardner, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says New Britain police tried to corral the animal until state conservation officials arrived but he kept wandering toward Route 72.

He said tranquilizers used on an animal that large don't take effect immediately and the animal will run.

The moose population in Connecticut is believed to be about 100 to 150. They generally are found in wooded areas in the northeastern and northwestern parts of Connecticut but have been seen across the state.